In 2013 Dr. Robert Selden approached the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) inquiring about the possibility of including interactive 3D models in a digital collection. Working with Dr. Selden, the CDS found a platform to which these models could be deposited and displayed. Concurrently, the CDS was actively promoting SFA’s institutional repository, SFA ScholarWorks. One guiding idea behind these IR-focused activities was the emphasis of the legitimacy of non-traditional works in respect to SFA ScholarWorks and the academic community as a whole. This idea and acceptance of the non-traditional was maintained as the CDS began to develop a program for the publication of online and open access journals.

The collaborative relationship was maintained with Dr. Selden, who continued to deposit 3D models, articles and other scholarly works into SFA’s IR. That sustained relationship was rewarding for both parties as it was Dr. Selden’s CRHR: Research Reports that was the first online and open access journal to be launched via SFA ScholarWorks. This journal is also significant in that it included 3D models and associated files, which were displayed alongside related articles. This inclusion helped to create a more fully realized scope of Dr. Selden’s work.

This talk will trace the course taken by Dr. Selden and the CDS that led to the incorporation of 3D models into CRHR: Research Reports. It will also detail efforts at SFA and in the CDS to realize the necessity of incorporating non-traditional file formats in online journals.

The "Georgia Coast Atlas": Reimagining Online Atlas Publishing

Anandi Salinas, Emory University

As traditional printed manuscripts move online, content creators and technology experts must think creatively about how to balance the demands of user experience, website functionality, accessibility, and aesthetics all while highlighting the content that is the foundation of the site. The Emory Center for Digital Scholarship and the Emory Environmental Studies department have come together to create the innovative and interactive Georgia Coast Atlas that seeks to change the way we think of peer-reviewed multimedia content and atlas interactivity online. This lightning talk will showcase the Georgia Coast Atlas website prototype, launching in March 2016, and will highlight the user experience and technological considerations that went into creating the site.

The final version of the Atlas will combine long form, multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed multimedia content with multiple map layers, 360 degree panoramas, and video guides of the Georgia coast islands. To simulate the exploratory nature of a traditional printed atlas, the team decided to use a map of the Georgia coast as the central navigation avenue of the website, while maintaining traditional menu navigation features, to provide the user multiple nonlinear entry points into the website content. After the prototyping phase, the team will move the website into the WordPress platform to promote efficient and user friendly publication of peer-reviewed content by an editorial team. The Georgia Coast Atlas will provide users a new interactive atlas experience, but will also provide an avenue for ongoing additional publications and multimedia content publishing without the need for heavy code development overhead.

Reading the Reader: Building a User-Centered Publishing Prototype in a Web Browser

Scott Young, Montana State UniversityJan Zauha, Montana State UniversityMichelle Gollehon, Montana State University

What is the future of scholarly communications technology? Identifying an effective and engaging next step for publishing and disseminating academic content has been an ongoing challenge for publishers, libraries, and content creators. At the Montana State University Library we have worked with authors, editors, and students on our campus to create a new possibility for publishing scholarly content through the web.

In this session, we will present our research into the development of a web publishing prototype (http://arc.lib.montana.edu/book/). Our “book in a browser” is characterized by an open, user-centered, collaborative approach that recognizes a fundamental relationship among three primary user types: student readers, faculty content contributors, and library technical developers. In order to achieve a product that meets the expectations of these users, we collaborated with faculty to build a responsive and search-optimized prototype using open web standards. We then worked with student readers to conduct user interviews, usability tests, and motivation and comprehension surveys that together show reader preferences and practices within the networked environment of the web. Our new publishing approach points to an improved model for describing, discovering, sharing, and analyzing scholarly content and the online reader experience, while also positioning the library as a partner and bridge between content providers and readers.

With this session, we will share our work and connect with the LPC community to help build a future of scholarly communications technology that is open, user-centered, and collaborative.

In 2013 Dr. Robert Selden approached the Center for Digital Scholarship (CDS) at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) inquiring about the possibility of including interactive 3D models in a digital collection. Working with Dr. Selden, the CDS found a platform to which these models could be deposited and displayed. Concurrently, the CDS was actively promoting SFA’s institutional repository, SFA ScholarWorks. One guiding idea behind these IR-focused activities was the emphasis of the legitimacy of non-traditional works in respect to SFA ScholarWorks and the academic community as a whole. This idea and acceptance of the non-traditional was maintained as the CDS began to develop a program for the publication of online and open access journals.

The collaborative relationship was maintained with Dr. Selden, who continued to deposit 3D models, articles and other scholarly works into SFA’s IR. That sustained relationship was rewarding for both parties as it was Dr. Selden’s CRHR: Research Reports that was the first online and open access journal to be launched via SFA ScholarWorks. This journal is also significant in that it included 3D models and associated files, which were displayed alongside related articles. This inclusion helped to create a more fully realized scope of Dr. Selden’s work.

This talk will trace the course taken by Dr. Selden and the CDS that led to the incorporation of 3D models into CRHR: Research Reports. It will also detail efforts at SFA and in the CDS to realize the necessity of incorporating non-traditional file formats in online journals.

The "Georgia Coast Atlas": Reimagining Online Atlas Publishing

Anandi Salinas, Emory University

As traditional printed manuscripts move online, content creators and technology experts must think creatively about how to balance the demands of user experience, website functionality, accessibility, and aesthetics all while highlighting the content that is the foundation of the site. The Emory Center for Digital Scholarship and the Emory Environmental Studies department have come together to create the innovative and interactive Georgia Coast Atlas that seeks to change the way we think of peer-reviewed multimedia content and atlas interactivity online. This lightning talk will showcase the Georgia Coast Atlas website prototype, launching in March 2016, and will highlight the user experience and technological considerations that went into creating the site.

The final version of the Atlas will combine long form, multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed multimedia content with multiple map layers, 360 degree panoramas, and video guides of the Georgia coast islands. To simulate the exploratory nature of a traditional printed atlas, the team decided to use a map of the Georgia coast as the central navigation avenue of the website, while maintaining traditional menu navigation features, to provide the user multiple nonlinear entry points into the website content. After the prototyping phase, the team will move the website into the WordPress platform to promote efficient and user friendly publication of peer-reviewed content by an editorial team. The Georgia Coast Atlas will provide users a new interactive atlas experience, but will also provide an avenue for ongoing additional publications and multimedia content publishing without the need for heavy code development overhead.

Reading the Reader: Building a User-Centered Publishing Prototype in a Web Browser

Scott Young, Montana State UniversityJan Zauha, Montana State UniversityMichelle Gollehon, Montana State University

What is the future of scholarly communications technology? Identifying an effective and engaging next step for publishing and disseminating academic content has been an ongoing challenge for publishers, libraries, and content creators. At the Montana State University Library we have worked with authors, editors, and students on our campus to create a new possibility for publishing scholarly content through the web.

In this session, we will present our research into the development of a web publishing prototype (http://arc.lib.montana.edu/book/). Our “book in a browser” is characterized by an open, user-centered, collaborative approach that recognizes a fundamental relationship among three primary user types: student readers, faculty content contributors, and library technical developers. In order to achieve a product that meets the expectations of these users, we collaborated with faculty to build a responsive and search-optimized prototype using open web standards. We then worked with student readers to conduct user interviews, usability tests, and motivation and comprehension surveys that together show reader preferences and practices within the networked environment of the web. Our new publishing approach points to an improved model for describing, discovering, sharing, and analyzing scholarly content and the online reader experience, while also positioning the library as a partner and bridge between content providers and readers.

With this session, we will share our work and connect with the LPC community to help build a future of scholarly communications technology that is open, user-centered, and collaborative.